MISD recruits in cash-strapped Beaumont ISD

Published 5:31 pm, Saturday, July 12, 2014

Amid Beaumont ISD’s financial troubles and teacher layoffs, other school districts — including Midland and Ector County ISDs — are using the opportunity to recruit BISD teachers to the Permian Basin.

MISD, ECISD and 42 other districts attended a job fair for BISD employees hosted by Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas on June 24, according to the Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas website.

MISD Executive Director of Human Resources Ed Zachary said BISD’s situation and recruiting from a struggling district are both uncommon.

The Beaumont Enterprise reports that BISD is facing a $25 million budget shortfall, an impending takeover from the state and a reduction in force of hundreds of positions.

“There are not many districts that are in this type of situation,” Zachary said. “This is very unusual, as a matter of fact. Generally speaking, if school districts are in a situation whereby they feel like they need to reduce staff, they try to handle that through attrition, first and foremost.”

However, the June job fair presented MISD with a chance to find experienced teachers -- especially bilingual teachers and in career and technology education, science and math -- who may be in need of work, Zachary said.

“The chance to avail ourselves to an opportunity where there might be some certified teachers in areas of shortage in our district was really too good to pass up, especially since it was coincidental to me being down there anyway,” he said.

Zachary was in Houston visiting with family at the time of the job fair, and said MISD may not have attended had he not already been in the area.

Zachary said his visit to BISD did not cost the district for travel expenses, but MISD spent about $550 with the Beaumont Enterprise to advertise its presence at the job fair. The ad promoted a $48,000 starting salary and the $10,000, three-year signing bonus.

Zachary met with and informally interviewed 15 to 20 teachers during his visit, and said several expressly said, “‘I’m applying in Midland ISD.’” More than 100 job-seekers attended the fair, according to the Workforce Solutions website.

As of Wednesday morning, Zachary had not yet checked to see if any BISD teachers applied to MISD during the district’s closure the week of June 30.

According to a list of employers at the fair, the majority of districts in attendance were from the Houston or Beaumont areas, with MISD and ECISD as the outliers. Zachary said the relocation — more than 550 miles — will be a serious consideration for many people.

“But, if you don’t have a job — and that was our thinking — if you don’t have a job and you’re talking about people ... That’s why I deviated from my reason for being down there and went to that job fair,” he said.

Budget issues for BISD, and not teacher quality, are the reason for the reduction in force, Zachary said.

“We didn’t go down there with the idea that we were going to scoop up the leftovers or non-performers from Beaumont ISD,” he said.

It still looks promising for MISD to fill all of its teacher positions for the fall, Zachary said.

“We always like to think that, but it looks particularly so this year,” he said. “We’re still very optimistic that we’re going to get these teachers.”

Friday was the last day for teachers to be released from their contracts without repercussions, meaning there could be new vacancies, he said.

Overall, Zachary said the district is in better shape in terms of applicants in high-demand areas, such as science and career and technology.

“Just because we have a certain number of applicants in certain areas doesn’t mean they’re all what we’re looking for,” he said. “It may not be a good fit, not for them and not for us. Here again, we’re very optimistic about that. The number of people that we have on file ... in those perennially difficult areas to fill, are much higher this year than we’ve seen in the past few years.”